World of Darkness: Z
“Somethin’ bad happened twenty years back, we all called it the endtimes….but it was apocalypse. Last big bang. Cataclysm. Crucible. Whatever yer fancy, the names don’t right matter anymore. Nothin’ matters. Tribes, gone. Spirits, gone. Septs, gone. Caerns, gone. Friends, allies, enemies, all gone. Everything that was is trying to kill you now. Those gone friends, enemies, acquaintances, even the nice old man down the road and his once friendly old dog’s tryin’ t’chew your face off. The War used to be winnable when we still had each other, but now a simple bite…..just one bite turns a pack against itself. Alone, you can move fast and low and quiet. Alone, you can get in and out like -that-. Ah’ve been alone for a long, long time and now? Well. Now bein’ alone’s kept me breathin’. Ah used t’want a pack, used t’be filled with so much rage when the old wolves kicked me out and burned away my good name. Now…..Now Ah’m alone and I’ve shot down most of them old wolves myself, made a sort of game out of it. How many of the proud can Ah carve a mark onto my belt for before something puts me down. It’s fun, sorta. So here’s the deal, kid. You survived, they didn’t. If you wanna keep survivin’, keep these rules in mind. Vampires are crazy, more than that; the zombies don’t care about’m. A zombied werewolf is scary shit, but their brain is just as weak as a regular one. Faeriefolk are not your friends…..and if you come across a wizard, be real nice to it and run away fast as you can. Oh and one more thing, Humans are dangerous. Welcome to the World of Darkness, kid. Mind the zombies.” Riley Shepherd, 2033 ' ' What this book is: This is a variant chronicle for the World of Darkness: End Times. In this variant, the endtimes did not occur the way the myriad books suggested and instead a single cataclysmic event plunged the world into chaos and savagery. While the human world was ravaged by a zombie outbreak of unknown origin, the world of darkness suffered a decaying doom in symbiosis with the mortals and their societies. The following information gives an overview of what each venue has experienced as the world came to an end and the humans became a greater threat than ever before. Gone are the days of hiding just beyond belief, humanity is aware and very upset. Theme: Dystopian Nightmare. Everything has gone horribly wrong, societies crumble and are reformed into smaller systems of survival based nuance but underneath it all is a creeping unease and distrust now that humans know of all that once went bump in the night and are no longer afraid. Inspiration: 28 Days, World War Z, The Walking Dead (Sadly), Tank Girl, Z Nation SO WHAT HAPPENED?? Nobody can say for sure, that’s the common consensus. Not a one person believes the same reason for it all, though similar opinions tend to flock together. What IS known is that suddenly, quite out of nowhere, the cosmos went black. Lights out. Game Over. The Umbra, the Spirit World, the Horizon Realms simply ceased to exist save for the nearest shore, the near umbral beachead where the basic elementals of life remain even now. Animal spirits, basic elementals, all working tirelessly to keep the planet alive without the great powers that once were generating the energy. Only the Earth remains, exuding its own sustained power weakly which this new caste of great spirits must use immediately to sustain each other and recycle back to the Earth herself to keep her breathing. Upon the earthly realm, every nerd’s worst nightmare/favorite fantasy came to pass. Whether it was the abrupt loss of the shadowlands or an accident of man’s scientific foolishness, somewhere, the first zombies clawed their way into the population and it all went downhill from there. Technology has helped slow the progress of the shambling dead, whom unlike their media counterparts are not nearly as lucky and do not stumble through the very works of energy and defense accidentally to neutralize their use. The dead simply walk….and run….for sustenance. However, an unintended side effect occurred when the world began to end; with zombies literally on their heels, Humanity realized once and for all that monsters really exist. For the first decade of the apocalypse, humans began to take their safety very -very- seriously and the revelations of all things existing in the world of darkness was a match that struck the powderkeg so many creatures of the shadow took for granted. Now, infrared detection is a natural part of every settlement to detect the undead, shambling or bloodsucking, some of the more affluent even have dna-checks looking for the corrupted blood flowing through a ghoul’s veins….or the heightened chemical levels of the shapeshifters of Gaia. With disbelief no longer blinding Mankind, the strange and wonderful Changelings were suddenly unmasked, now treated as freaks and exotic pets by the repugnant while the awakened suffered only in very specific ways while gaining an unfettered ability to work their will upon a reality that has no problem believing in magic. Even Humanity’s Champions have fallen, the once Imbued driven mad by a terrifying event called The Silence that left every member of the reckoning-guardians minds invariably broken and the hosts of the heavenly creatures strange soulless shells called Vessels….used for the worst forms of magic. The End has touched all, can you survive it? Vampires Least affected physically by the zombie plague, Vampires admittedly are the luckiest of the creatures of the supernatural world in that their bodies cannot reanimate already being reanimated themselves. Somehow, Caine’s curse is either so close to the zombie strain or so powerful in and of itself that a Vampire bitten by a zombie is merely...bitten. Not that zombies would, given their taste for living flesh and brains. Vampires have none of these, unless they are actively forcing blood through their bodies to give the semblance of life in which the hungrier dead will definitely enjoy. The greater problem for the brood lies in Humanity’s sudden awareness of being prey, taking great measures to defend themselves from all creatures these nights and the introduction of infrared, LED Full Spectrum Lamps, and genetic testing has made the collection of blood rather difficult. Many vampires take to barbaric practices akin to the Dark Ages, pillaging en masse and kidnapping humans to use as livestock. Others are simply driven mad with hunger, devolving openly into dangerous beasts that mirror a zombie, but are far more deadly. With supplies in short demand and footholds in human communities extremely difficult, the creation of new vampires is generally frowned upon in order to selfishly keep the supply and demand even. Accidents do happen, but a newly risen leech finds the desolate lands a short term introduction into unlife most times. Garou In a world where your own brethren become your death, the Garou fought bravely against the corruption of their own under a very specific set of natural rules. Those rules no longer apply and the Garou did not grasp how to reconcile with that. Arguably the most stalwart of the supernatural beings left on Earth, the garou tried to save the world they love but were swallowed up in it all the same. With the abrupt disappearance of the greater umbral worlds, garou found themselves cut off from the most vital part of their heritage and their staunchest allies at that. Young werewolves found chaos in the near veil and had to split their focus between saving the spirits they could while fending off the dangers of the new world. The Zombie outbreak was particularly damning to the garou, for the bite of the walking dead turn even them over time. While the bite of a zombie takes twice as long to overpower the regenerative effects of a werewolf, the result of it succumbing is truly terrifying indeed. A zombified werewolf craves flesh and brains while retaining the strength, speed, and physical advantages of being a werewolf or wolf or human. Whichever breed form a garou returns to in death by zombie bite becomes their natural state. The most difficult part of being a Garou in this age is the lack of community, as most of the formal tribes have been effectively wiped out, leaving three to be considered prominent and one most responsible for finding the remaining trueborns and surviving solely upon the swarm mentality. Bonegnawers survive everything and their standard composure of survival on the fringes has trained them well, they’re the most powerful of the tribes now. While pure breed is difficult to quantify anymore, some survivors still hold true to the traditions of their tribe even to the last. The Get of Fenris, on the other hand, consolidated their power during the collapse of the cosmos and then burst from their european septs a fully formed horde. The Shadowlords were destroyed nearly immediately and the Fenrir rampaged across the great continent amidst the zombie plague only to be nearly destroyed by the undead versions of those they slaughtered. It was a very confusing time, but the war-born Get of Fenris remain to this day, feared. The Uktena and the Wendigo combined themselves when the native american indians did, bringing the fractured tribes together upon tribal lands to make their final stand in Arizona where the flatlands gave them great advantage over the hordes. Insular, the native peoples, pueblans, and garou of the two tribes now simply call themselves “The Pure” and kill trespassers without remorse to protect their own. And Finally, the Children of Gaia made it their life-mission to collect the trueborns who survived the plague’s first years and train them to protect themselves and each other, hoping to rekindle the sense of community through cooperation. Though they’re often taking extreme losses due to naivete’, the Children’s communes tend to draw in many wayward travelers and the garou have perfected their scrying skills to detect rage. Rumor has it that these communes even take in the occasional wizard and changing breed as well, to further save the collectives. A word on gifts: Without the vast umbral expanse and its denizens, coupled with the great losses of leaders and mystics the world over; the Garou of the Z age are hard pressed to learn the magic of their ancestors. As such, most garou only know a smattering of gifts (if any) from the basic elementals and none from the major incarna or above. These beings no longer exist in our world, even the great totem spirits have fallen silent. Now, Caerns flicker only with the barest Gnosis provided by gaggles of jagglings flocking together and these special places are zealously guarded….not to mention fought over. On the other hand, the battlefield of Earth is awash in artifacts and legendary weapons left behind by the fallen, ripe for the plucking/salvaging and often sadly destroying for materials. Mages Magic is power. It always has been. It was stymied by the collective disbelief of all mankind in miracles, monsters, and mysticism. That is no longer the case, everyone believes. Now that everyone believes and the cosmos has vanished, leaving the night sky nearly empty…..magic is the most powerful weapon on the face of planet Earth. Thankfully, only the truly awakened can wield it. Indistinguishable from normal humans for the most part, Wizards can blend into society or take it over completely depending upon their paradigm, for reshaping reality is their entire goal. There is a certain high fantasy aspect to magic in the Z Age, but it has a price sometimes just as dangerous as paradox once was. The Planet Earth is a singular thing now and with its upkeep comes an energy requirement, portions of that earthly energy are required to cause spells to manifest. Mages know this as Quintessence, the energy of all things. But what if “All things” was reduced from the infinite….to the finite? It falls on wizards to choose carefully that which they do, though their power is now nigh-unimaginable. Quintessence restoration is -very- difficult, Nodes, Leylines, Trods, and Spirit Caerns are few and far between, making replenishment sometimes life or death. On that note, wizards of the Prime and Forces spheres are truly potent creatures, able to siphon power from a larger well of magic than others might. However, established practices fell with much of the world, traditions eke out an existence more like a conclave than a vast collective and if knowledge is power then power is scarce indeed. He who collects antiquities of magic is truly ruler of all. Naturally, certain spheres of influence have been affected by the cosmic upheaval. Spirit is stunted by the lack of spirits capable of responding to the call of a wizard, and those who do respond are often far less awesome than intended. Correspondence, though capable of folding space; has murdered more than one wizard attempting to fling their essence across huge tracts of land. The lack of the infinite plays havoc with the natural order of reality and a wizard must still be very careful how they enact their spells lest the error cost them their lives. Still, the wizard is the most potent, particularly those who have learned to survive through subjugating weaker magical beings to power spells. Be careful what you wish for, truly. Changelings Possibly the most hard-hit by the shift of the world, Faeriekind did not weather the storm well and with good reason beyond their control. The Mist was a mystical barrier of aloof ignorance and when all but the nearest dreaming was lost, its disappearance stole much of the glamour that protected changelings. As such, coupled with humanity’s sudden hyper-awareness, the revelation of the fantastical and wondrous had a very different effect. The dreaming-kind had their masks torn off, left raw and visible to the world. Being creatures of man’s own dreams had an advantage, it engendered a twisted compassion in mankind where changelings were concerned. Unfortunately, that compassion did not last long. Over the years, kindness and community gave way to avarice and the Fae were eventually treated as property, cherished for their exotic appearance and skills as commodities. The powerful love a boggan, who can clean and maintain their property overnight. Sidhe are used by politicians and dictators as messengers, ambassadors, and courtesans. A Troll is doubly useful for its brute strength both in enforcing a despot’s will or simply working, harshly controlled by the common knowledge that an oath means everything to a troll. Another fine example of knowledge as power and humanity’s place as the most deadly predator. Due to the subjugation of their kind, Changelings have had a rough go of it. Seelie changeling are very rare these days, as the dreams of mankind spiral out of control and the harsh treatment they endure warps their individual minds. Some have embraced the depravity and used their skills to free themselves or rise up the social ladder of their region, others simply retreat into the near dreaming and go mad, refusing to return to the reality they so despise. Drugs and alcohol are a quicker escape and many lose their fae self to the terrible banality of a hopeless world. On the other hand, “free” faeriekind out in the desolation zones between cities and settlements are often free to use their arts to their fullest need for survival. Humans are careful creatures and some fae, like any other supernatural creatures, manage to eke out a life on the fringes unfettered by man. A WORD ON FAERIE SOULS - Something strange happened when the cosmos collapsed and the world was swallowed by chaos and death, something that only specifically occurs within the scope of the Fae. Faerie Souls do not trickle through the dreaming to make new Changelings through Chrysalis. Instead, immortal fae souls that are not subdued by banality at the death of their host recycle immediately in the nearest newborn human child as they attempt to zealously cling to existence and the dreams from which they once originated. This supposedly sustains the fae soul until Chrysalis, symbiotically siphoning the imagination power of the child as they grow. A NOTE ABOUT TREASURES, Wonders, Fetishes, and any item imbued with power of any kind (including batteries), Treasures are not as rare, sometimes found lying in the blood-stained grass or dangling from the undead who once carried them. These items are also especially important to wizards in search of more quintessence to power their spells. The Rest of the World of Darkness Without the realms that influenced and birthed them, the supernatural beings of the World of Darkness find life very difficult in this new age, but there were some that suffered in unspeakable and unimaginable ways. Take, for example, the Imbued. Hunters commanded powers unmatched in order to prevent the end, their failure appears to be their curse as well for Hunters at the fall of the universe were sudden driven mad by some psychic field that allowed their patrons to communicate with them. There are two kinds of Imbued now, the dead….and the vessels. Vessels is a catch-all term coined by the magical societies for beings that harbor stores of great power, essentially referring to the lobotomized Hunters and Fallen symbiotes as containers. Full of soul, but lacking in will of any form, these are prized human possessions for their well of energy could, quite literally, make your dreams come true. Changing Breeds are all but extinct, the hengeyokai had built up their defenses with the eastern sovereignty and care not for the outside world. While everything is technically playable within the scope of this theme, they are each suffering in their own way. Storytellers and Players are encouraged to fully explain how a PC exists….and why…. Character Creation: Survival of the Fittest Standard Character Creation applies for each concept by its respective book. The true shift in thinking comes in the background and spark of life process. Using the information above, a player may tailor their character’s experiences and upbringing in any number of ways. Examples: High-Fantasy: A labrador-pooka who believes that there’s a place far, far away where things are better and wanders looking for clues. Befriends easily, helps others out of affable kindness, finds happiness and beauty in even the darkest moments solely because somewhere, things are better. Hope guides the character, who fights for what’s right and just. What happens when faith is shaken? Sci-Fi: Shadowrun-style computer analyst, awakened and conning their way through survival in a city settlement where the rich are the only “free” people. Values wealth equated with status, selfish cyborg. Dramatic: A lonesome young man or woman scavenging through the desolation zones, foraging for scraps of food and items to barter with settlements for supplies. Collects pieces of history, fantasizes about what life was like before the fall. When angered or frightened, transforms into a monster but...it beats dying. Villainy: Looking to cut a slice of the world for themself, using their power to subjugate and destroy any opposition to their goal. Western: A desolation zone drifter wanders into a settlement, which is attacked by a leechsquad looking to bolster their blood banks. Maybe his magic bullets will even the odds a bit. Crusading: A group of friends make a vow to bring justice and honor back to the world, using their combined abilities to help those in need and prove to humanity that we can all come together. Will they make a difference or will the weaknesses in man’s judgement destroy them from within? ON POWERS Many supernatural abilities are natural, some are taught by outside forces (allies, mentors, spirits, tomes, etc). An explanation of how one was taught a specific ability is required in character creation. Explain your powers, make them part of your character’s history. A garou’s control of their rage and transformation can be innate, it could need to be taught because the character believes they are not in control. Most garou gifts would need to be taught by a spirit, one available to the garou. More on this below. Gifts are specifically difficult to account for, as they are taught by spirits. Spirits are even more rare than a mentor might be. A house flaw for Garou will be introduced in the House Rules section of this module to compensate garou characters for the lack of gifts if a player so chooses to play a lone wolf. Backgrounds and Advantages Most backgrounds are all available, with few exceptions based on the theme. Ancestry Backgrounds, Spirit Backgrounds (Totems), Renown, etc are not useful due to the cataclysm. Totem spirits do not exist now, though a Storyteller might create a story where one is somehow revived and then apply the background to existing characters. See more on this below. Resources and Status are situational. Resources represents your surplus of tradable goods as green paper bills no longer matter, it could be livestrock, weapons, fruit, whatever you quantify at creation. Status is situational by background and should be discussed with the ST at creation. On Merits and Flaws Merits and Flaws are also situational, as always. Discuss these with the Storyteller to be certain they fit into the theme of the story appropriately. Obviously, as with backgrounds and advantages, any merit and flaw dealing with the supernal realms outside of Earth and the near umbra/near dreaming are ineligible for use and a waste of freebie points/experience. House Rules Rules of Engagement Combat operates as per normal, though Dodge is a specific trait as it makes better sense to cultivate it in a world that is literally trying to kill you. Zombies One of many antagonists in WoD: Z, Zombies are a real and present danger. Zombies are undead, meaning that specific events render a zombie incapable of fighting. Any zombie at the mauled/incapacitated level of health cannot move and the difficulty to hit is adjusted accordingly. Zombies do not dodge, nor do they apply skills and knowledges. Zombies DO soak bashing and lethal damage and take half of the result of a non-targeted attack. Example: A Zombie shot at soaks the bullet and applies half the successes in damage to its health levels. However, a called shot to the head that succeeds negates the half damage, applying full damage to the zombie. A called shot to a limb works in the same fashion, because while a zombie shrugs off wild attacks because they feel no pain, they do not protect their bodies either. A zombie may move at full speed, it is not restricted to shambling walk unless it is literally incapable of doing so. A zombie’s bite is treated as aggravated/infecting. Any living humanoid bitten by a zombie will die of infection in a matter of days based on the victim’s stamina rating if not killed beforehand. Once dead, the victim will rise as a zombie within 10 minutes (roll 1 die to determine). Zombie scratches do not transmit the infection. NOTE: Werewolves who shift to breed form to regenerate fight the infection, giving shapeshifters who regenerate a chance of survival, albeit slimly so. An infected werewolf rolls Stamina (by regenerating form) for each day they live after bitten. If a werewolf accumulates 12 total successes before succumbing to death, the regenerative process neutralizes the infection. This is a painful process, however, and a garou may not do anything but rest during this. Taking any standard actions negates the process completely, guaranteeing death….and turning. A wizard with the Life Sphere may make the same attempt to neutralize a bite infection, applying the same extended successes (12) If successful, the mage cures the afflicted. However, this is extremely rare given the effort requires a lot of quintessence to execute. Each day requires a fresh attempt, another point of quintessence, and rote casting. Firearms Weapons are a big part of survival, tools to defend oneself with are as necessary as food and water and shelter. No weapon is more important than firearms. Firearms are quite common and desired in the Z Age, but supplies and demands are problematic. Gunsmithing is an essential goldmine skill, for making bullets is akin to growing crops. Vital to life. This ranking system does not involve the damage, rate of fire, and clip size of firearms. It encompasses rarity and required maintenance. Rank 1: Simple. Single shot pistols (flintlock) and single shot rifles (bolt action) Rank 2: Basic Revolvers, carbine rifles, shotguns. Rank 3: Average Handguns, standard and heavy caliber Rank 4: Expert Semi-automatic and fully automatic rifles Rank 5: Heavy Weapons Railguns, mounted artillery, rocket launchers, etc. Weaponry A good knife is essential for any survivalist, but sometimes it’s easier to make one than buy one. This goes for any hand held weapon, manufactured or jury-rigged. Crafts is required to fashion a makeshift weapon given you have the materials present to do so, but to manufacture a fully functioning weapon requires specialty (ex. Metalsmithing and the materials required to produce a real sword). Jury-rigged weapons, from glass shard daggers to creating your own Lucille are made with standard crafts rolls but resist being broken at half their durability due to the on-the-fly method of production. Anyone can carry weaponry, fashion their own out of scraps and wield them in combat. However, one cannot specialize in generic types of weapons and apply that bonus to makeshift equipment. Someone with a specialty in swordfighting would not gain the benefit from wielding a propeller blade with a cloth handle. Similarly though, a character may specialize in their specific makeshift weapon (ex. Lucille) and gain that benefit, but it does not pertain to any other weapon no matter how similar. Vehicles Surprisingly, Gas is not as sparse as one might expect from watching too much television. It’s a commonly bartered item and one of the first areas secured after the cataclysm occurred were the oil fields and refineries. Granted, they work less and less efficiently every year. As do the cars, trucks, SUVs, and flying machines that require fossil fuels to run. Vehicles are still fairly common and those who have one are surprisingly lucky individuals. Maintenance can be very difficult to keep up on a vehicle, which is why many are operated and kept by a group or family unit. A vehicle can quickly become part of the family or group unit itself, by providing shelter, escape, and a sense of belonging. Due to the significance and effort a vehicle in the Z age requires, a character who wishes to start play with a motorcycle must dedicate a resources dot to it. For a car or truck, two dots must be dedicated. For a bus, military grade vehicle, or larger transport, three dots must be dedicated. Extra effects, equipment, advantages may alter the resource requirement and should be discussed with the storyteller to determine that cost. Every corebook has its own section on vehicles that can be referenced for examples.